Tuesday, June 23, 2015

I first posted about this Route 66 quilt last WIP Wednesday. This week it is still up on the wall, but finally almost done! I cleaned out my space last week so that I could expand my design wall and I am sooo enjoying the extra space. You can see my crumb slabs up on the left there. Just plugging along slowly on those.

I have a stack of 4 quilt tops and backings ready for basting. Time to have a basting party ASAP!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Do you follow Quilting is More Fun Than Housework? If not you really should. I love her Scrap-a-palooza quilt series, so inspiring! Recently she hosted an orphan adoption event where people could release their old UFOs to loving homes. I was fortunate enough to score 11 cat blocks from Laurie at ThreeOldKeys.

About half done sashing the blocks up to 12.5" sq

There are paper pieced, applique, embroidery, and traditional pieced blocks. Several of the cats are accessorized with buttons and ribbon. So cute! I made a 12th cat (the black one on lower left) and got to work sashing them with browns and neutrals from my stash.

Here is the top, not sewn together yet. A dozen happy cats getting ready for a new home. This will, of course, be another quilt for Covered in Love. I checked in with the chaplains on Friday and they are down to 3 quilts, so I need to get some more up there pronto!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

WIP Wednesday and I have new quilt on the design wall. This is another one for Covered in Love. I had gotten a couple of remnants of this novelty Route 66 fabric and just pulled some matching stash to go with it.

I wanted to show you a little bit of my design process for a quilt like this. First I cut as many 10.5" squares as I could from the focus fabric, which turned out to be 12. Then I used grid paper to create a design using those and 5.5" squares to make a quilt finishing at 55"x70". Since I knew my smallest unit was going to be the 5" square I decided to go ahead and set that as 1 square on the grid paper. (The design wound up using only 11 of the novelty squares, so one will go on the back.)

Monday, June 15, 2015

Happy Monday :) It is a happy Monday for me. After working a loooong 3 days weekend I am back at the sewing machine. First things first I need to get this month's do. Good Stitches blocks done before I leave for my trip next week.

This month Louise has us paper piecing her inside out pineapple pattern. Above is one finished quarter. I need to make 8 quarters in order to have 2 blocks. Now, while I don't hate paper piecing, it is definitely not my favorite. And so time consuming!

After completing the first block to get my head around it I am assembly-lining the other 7. Currently I am attaching pieces 7 & 8 (of 20) to each of the blocks.

If you come around here this afternoon your might hear some inappropriate words directed at Louise, but I promise it to only in the heat of the moment. This meticulously pieced will be gorgeous, and so worth it in the end. Right? Ask me again in a couple of hours.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Welcome to Friday Finishes! This week I have a fun non-quilty finish to share. I made myself a bag!

I have never carried a purse, instead carrying my wallet and phone etc. in my pockets. There are times, though, when a bag would be really handy. Like any self respecting quilter, I decided to make my own :)

The pattern I used for this bag is the Two Zip Hipster Bag from Dog Under My Desk with just a couple changes. I did add the stacked pockets on the back, which were not in the original pattern.

The feature fabric is a panel of a map of Seattle and the surrounding area which I bought from UnderCover quilts on my recent trip to the Northwest. The other fabric came out of the upholstery fabric remnant bin at Hancocks.

I used a stiff interfacing to strengthen all the bag parts and a thin foam for the main body to give it structure. Inside the bag is plenty of room, a snap pocket, and elastic pocket and a clip for my keys.

I do highly recommend this pattern. It was easy to follow and to adjust and the bag is the perfect size at about 9"x11"x2". The strap adjusts so it can be worn over the shoulder or cross body. I'm looking forward to trying it out on an upcoming trip!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

My design wall has been humming! The do. Good Stitches hot and cold blocks were still up there (I am lacking one set to put it together). I'm still enjoying playing with the design possibilities, too!

I took the hot and cold blocks down so I could start putting up the crumb slabs as I sash them. I am using my white-ish crumbs mixed with a little of the focal color in each block to border them. FYI the layout will be more random than this, just throwing them up on the wall here.